Sometimes the Smart-alec Wins
by paxbanana
Summary: K-ON!(!) timeline. An average walk home ending an average day of school is the catalyst for a huge change in Ritsu's life. femslash


Sometimes the Smart-aleck Wins  
Warnings: Lesbians and moe! Ritsu is a characteristic smart ass. Click the blue arrow if this offends you.  
Notes: Another story that's been sitting on my HD for ages.

* * *

The last winter of high school wasn't turning out to be any different than the other two they'd already experienced. They went to class, same as usual and had tea and practiced less than they should, as usual. And as usual, Mio and Ritsu strolled home on their usual route past an old neighborhood park they used to frequent. The one unique aspect of the day was that Mio seemed incapable of a moment of seriousness.

Mio giggled. "Do you remember...?" she asked before giggling a bit more.

"What's wrong with you?" Ritsu asked. She partially meant it because Mio had been alarmingly amused since band practice. Ritsu wondered if Mugi had slipped something into her tea.

"You..." Mio laughed outright this time and stopped walking.

"Oi!" Ritsu snapped in an appropriately irritated tone of voice. She growled and thrust an arm around Mio's neck in an attempt to get her in a choke hold. She gave up feigning serious anger halfway through the gesture and her grip loosened. She would have removed it altogether, but Mio giggled once more and wrapped an arm around her waist.

This was certainly a new experience. Mio had never ever been touchy-feely, and Ritsu generally respected that aspect of her personality. However close they might be—and sometimes Ritsu had doubts about that—they'd never done the holding-hands or hugging or sleepovers that seemed to constitute stereotypical schoolgirl friendships. The closest they usually got physically was a chokehold or a slap to the head.

It was odd to hold Mio like this. Though, Ritsu privately thought, not the least of that oddness arose from the fact that Mio stood a good six centimeters taller than she did. It was hard to walk because they kept bumping hips, and her cheek was mashed into Mio's shoulder. The bass on Mio's back completed the whole awkward arrangement. Ritsu kept waiting for Mio's arm to loosen the smallest bit from around her waist so she could have her left arm back, but Mio seemed strangely content to walk all tangled up. And, well, this was a lot warmer than walking side by side. Except for Ritsu's poor pocketless hand, that was.

She had half a mind to flatten her freezing hand over Mio's face, but Mio giggled against her again. They bumped hips harder and had to stagger a few steps to regain their balance. "Ritsu!" Mio gasped, still giggling. Ritsu tilted her head up, uncertain what was so funny. She felt hilarity rise up in her simply because Mio was so bubbly. She met Mio's eyes and took in the happiness in her features.

And then they were kissing, arms wrapped up around each other, mouths together, breathing each other's air.

Ritsu pulled away and walked into the park. The monkeybar of the junglejim was cold on her bare hands, and the friction of her body swaying on it hurt. Once upon a time, hanging from these monkeybars had been daring and the drop from them warranted a scream of jubilation. Now she had to bend her knees to put any weight on her hands.

"Ritsu..."

"We just kissed," Ritsu said from far away.

"Ritsu..." Mio sounded like she was about to cry.

She had to swallow to force out the question. "Did you want that?"

There was pressure on her arm. Ritsu cast her eyes down and studied Mio's mittened hand in the crease of her elbow. "Ritsu," Mio whispered. Ritsu met her eyes and wasn't surprised to see tears glittering in them. "I'm sorry," she said.

Ritsu put all her weight on her hands and swung, anchored by the flats of her feet. "Can we just pretend it didn't happen then?"

"I can't!" Mio cried. "It was my only chance and—"

She stood up, numb enough to barely notice how startled and flushed she was. "You meant to kiss me?"

"No, not consciously, but I... Ritsu," Mio murmured.

"Are you gay?" Ritsu asked. She cocked her head and studied Mio's downturned face.

"Yes..." came the nearly silent murmur. "I think so. I mean, anyone I ever think of turns out to be you." Mio paused. "Are you?" she shot back.

"Dunno. Never thought about it before."

Mio buried half her face into her scarf dejectedly. Tears welled in her eyes.

"O-kay." Ritsu rocked again. Her heart thundered in her chest. "So, I mean, what would we be?"

"What are you-?"

"Girlfriends or friends who kiss or what?"

Mio, who had been crying, blushed and snapped her eyes to Ritsu's. "You want to!?"

"It seems like we can't really go back to the way things were before," Ritsu replied seriously. She had to swallow a few times to get through the statement. "I love you, Mio, but I've never honestly thought about this between us. I don't think I have a problem _with_ being more than friends. So, why not?"

"That's not a good reason!" Mio cried.

"I love you. I don't want to lose you," Ritsu said again. What else to say? "I liked the kiss."

Mio met her eyes again, and she didn't look nearly as miserable as before. "Really?"

"Mmhm," Ritsu said. Her hands had gone unpleasantly numb on the monkeybar. She grinned, already thinking of the reaction she'd glean, and Mio smiled tentatively back. Ritsu lurched forward and slapped her hands onto Mio's hot cheeks. Mio squealed in reply. "So warm!" Ritsu shouted just before Mio's fist went into her solarplexis.

"Ritsu!" Mio snapped. "We were having an important conversation!"

"Yep," Ritsu wheezed. "It was way too serious..."

Then, to her pleasure, Mio's expression melted and relaxed. "Okay," Mio said. "We'll try it?"

"Sounds like a plan to me," Ritsu replied. She straightened but was unprepared for Mio to slide into her personal space. "W-what are you doing?" She was embarrassed by the stutter than had found its way into her voice.

"Trying," Mio replied softly. Her breath slid over Ritsu's face, sweet and distinctively Mio, and then Mio's mouth settled over hers.

_I hope we try really hard_. Too late; she couldn't say it. The moment had passed, and Ritsu didn't want to disengage her mouth to make the statement; it would have defeated the purpose.

-end-


End file.
